Appreciation

As I was eating my delicious fried chicken dinner on Saturday night at Jacques-Imo’s in New Orleans, a feeling of appreciation came over me. For almost the first 32 years of my life, I took for granted being able to walk and run, to live my life without a care in the world; disease, pain, and adversity --- those were things that happen to other people, not to me, and not to my friends. Life just seemed to float by without major upheavals. Sure I had my ups and downs, like everybody, but overall life was good.

Injuring my ankle, having surgery, and going through a difficult recovery has changed my perspective. Not being able to walk for almost two months, and thinking at one point that I was sentenced to a lifetime of pain, will have an impact.

What I appreciate now, in a way I never could two years ago, are the little things in life --- a simple get together with my parents, a night out with my friends, a walk on the beach, sitting on a park bench and reading the newspaper. What I appreciate the most, however, is good health. My ankle is fully healed, I’m running again and training for a marathon, and I have no major health issues whatsoever. I’m fortunate, I’m lucky, and I know it.

Unfortunately, there are others in life who aren’t so lucky, people like Kate. The other day I was reading her blog and listening to the audio interview she gave to the New York Times. She is fighting her heroic battle against cancer not only by going through medical treatments, but also through her determination to keep doing the little things --- working, going to the grocery store, the activities we all take for granted as the normal part of life. She does this with great wit and humor, as evidenced by her inspiring blog.

Ankle injuries don’t come close to cancer, not by a long shot. However, having gone through my own little health struggle has given me a better perspective and appreciation of just how important our little routines are in life. In fact, I would argue it's the little things that are the essence of life, though we may not always realize it until we have them taken away from us.

California Dreaming? Try California Nightmare!

When I started this blog, it was intended among other things to chronicle my training for the Los Angeles Marathon, scheduled for March 1, 2009. I’ve registered for the race, bought a plane ticket, booked a hotel room, and made plans to visit friends while out in sunny Cali.

However, in the immortal words of ESPN football analyst Lee Corso, NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! Today, I went to the Los Angeles Marathon website to check out the race course, and there was an announcement that the date of the race has been changed from March 1st to President’s Day, February 16th.

A few thoughts…..

The organizers of the marathon did not notify those who had already registered of the date change nor did they provide an explanation. Simple courtesy and business ethics dictates such minimal steps. Although a two week change might not seem like a big deal, the fact is that training for a marathon requires months of planning. I won’t bore you with the details, but I specifically chose the Los Angeles Marathon because I knew it would allow me enough time to properly train for the race. Even a two week change totally screws up my training schedule, not to mention my travel arrangements.

What to do?

I have one of three options: (1) re-arrange all my travel and training and run the Los Angeles Marathon in February; (2) find a different marathon to run that will fit my training schedule; or (3) not run a marathon at all.

Options one and three are not options at all. I will not re-arrange my travel and training, moreover my work schedule makes it nearly impossible for me to run on 2/16. As for not running a marathon at all, ABSOLUTELY NOT. I am running to support my friend Kate in her battle with cancer, and I’m running to prove to myself that I’m finally over my ankle injury. There's no turning back.

Believe it or not, there is hope --- the National Marathon, right here in good old Washington, DC. As it turns out, the National Marathon is scheduled for March 21st, a little bit later than March 1st, but it's never a bad thing to have more time to prepare. Disaster averted, training schedule in tact, all is well with the world. And a big bonus, those of you who live in the DC area can now come out and watch me run. I guess there really is a silver lining in every situation.

Kate in the New York Times

I commend to readers a piece that appears in the New York Times online that features personal stories of cancer patients. One of the individuals is my friend Kate, the very Kate I’m running to support in her battle with pancreatic cancer. Rather than bloviate, I think Kate’s compelling story requires no more words from me. Click here to listen to Kate in her own words; she is the third person down on the page.

(If you haven’t made a donation to the Lorenzen Cancer Foundation, please consider doing so and visit my fundraising website)

Yo Adrian, I Did It!

Ok, so I didn’t win the heavyweight championship of the world on Sunday in Philadelphia, but I did finish the Philadelphia Distance Run, one of the nation’s premier half marathons. Only a year earlier, I was in Philadelphia hobbling around on my bum right ankle. I remember vividly the struggle of walking from my hotel near the Philadelphia Convention Center to the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Several times I had to stop and rest my poor foot for a few minutes, and when I eventually reached the Art Museum, it took me more than 5 minutes to struggle up the steps made famous by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies.

This past Sunday was quite a different story. I had intended to use the Distance Run as a training run; I wasn’t going to run for time. In fact, I had agreed ahead of time with Anne the personal trainer that I would take it easy and try to finish in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. For better or worse, when I started the race I couldn’t help myself. The beginning of the race went straight down the Ben Franklin Parkway along the same route I struggled so hard to walk just a year earlier. I was overwhelmed with the sense that I had come so far in my recovery, and to prove to myself just how far I had come, I decided to adopt my own strategy, run as fast as possible for as long as possible. My pace quickened considerably, and before I realized it, I had whipped through the first 10 miles more than 3 minutes faster than I had finished the Annapolis 10 Miler just a month earlier. By mile 11, I was in position to finish in about 1 hour, 50 minutes, just about a normal time for me at the half marathon distance. However, my left knee started to ache just a tiny bit, at which point I knew I needed to pull back and slow down. My knee is fine, but my body was not used to running full throttle after over a year layoff. Even after slowing down, I still finished in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 33 seconds, almost in the top 1/3 of all finishers.

Running the Philadelphia Distance Run takes me further down the road to recovery. Certainly compared to a year ago, I have made huge strides, and with some hard work and sensible training, I will reach my goal of running, and finishing, the Los Angeles Marathon next March.

Dispatches from the Road: Austin

One of the challenges of training for a marathon is running your weekly mileage no matter what your schedule. Family obligations, chores, work; all these can be impediments to the runner training for 26.2. One obstacle that can really throw a monkey wrench into training is the dreaded business trip. Often less than 48 hours, the business trip can constrain even the most dedicated of runners --- meetings, boring panel discussions and presentations, the obligatory schmoozing over lunch and/or dinner, it can eat up all of your time. Yet, the business trip also provides an opportunity, a chance to run and take in the scenery of a totally new and unfamiliar place. Over the years, I’ve traveled all over the country for business to places like Chicago (see previous post), Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Hilton Head, Oklahoma City, Miami, Boston, and New York. I can still remember running along San Francisco Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge and seeing Alcatraz in the distance. Running along Puget Sound in Seattle was an unforgettable experience --- the peace, tranquility and beauty still are deeply etched in my memory.

This past week I had a quick business trip to Austin. Y’all know that Texas has the biggest and best of everything. Just ask a native Texan, they’ll tell you. They have the best Mexican food, steaks, football teams (high school, college, and pro), the biggest capitol building --- everything is super-sized and deluxe. Texas, and in particular Austin, is a pretty good place to run, too. In fact, Runner’s World named Austin one of the best places to run in the country, and I agree. On Tuesday, I went for a run in an area known as Town Lake; the area along the Colorado River that has nice parks and a fantastic gravel running trail. Last November, I was in Austin for a 5-day conference. At that point, I was cleared to run for no more than 30 seconds at a time, followed by 10 minutes of walking --- not exactly the ideal scenario for an avid runner. To say that I was frustrated by these restrictions would be an understatement, particularly since I was surrounded by avid runners just like me.

I vowed to return, and return I did! My run on Tuesday was hardly like last year’s run. The sun was strong, the humidity was oppressive, but my motivation was at an all-time high. I was determined to make this the best run since the surgery. Instead of running for 30 seconds, I cranked out five, 8 minute miles and probably pushed myself a little too hard. By the time I got back to the hotel, I was completely soaked and totally exhausted, but it was worth it. It was worth knowing that I really have made progress in recovery from surgery, that I really am improving, and that I really am on the road back to my old running self. On Tuesday, I ran with a little “Don’t Mess with Texas” attitude, and I think I’ll carry that with me into next March when I run the Los Angeles Marathon.

Six Months to Go Until Los Angeles

It’s hard to believe that the Los Angeles Marathon is a little less than six months away. Oh how the time has flown by. When I started this blog in June, the most I could run was 3 miles. My legs were weak, my stamina non-existent, and my confidence was shaky. Fast forward to today; I’m running 10 mile races, stamina has improved, and my confidence is increasing every week. Training for a marathon is like the race itself --- long stretches requiring patience and perseverance. Last Monday during my weekly workout with Anne the personal trainer and physical therapist extraordinaire, I realized just how much progress I’ve made --- my 800 meter times were dramatically faster than even a few weeks ago and I felt refreshed rather than totally exhausted. Clearly I’m making progress.

While the training has gone well and progress is evident, it hasn’t been easy, not by a long stretch. I’ve had moments of impatience where I’ve wanted to run longer and faster, but my body wouldn’t respond. I’ve had moments of frustration where I finished races in times far slower than in the past. And I’ve had moments of doubt where I’ve wondered whether I’d bitten off more than I could chew by trying to run a marathon. Through it all, I’ve had incredible support from you --- my family, friends, and colleagues. You’ve let me vent my frustrations and provided the encouragement I need to persevere and keep going. Without your support, there is no way in the world I could make this comeback.

Most gratifying, however, is the outpouring of support I’ve received with my fundraising efforts to support pancreatic cancer research. My goal when I started this journey was to raise $2,000. To date, contributions have totaled $2,795, most of which came within the first month of the fundraising campaign. Wow! I am grateful and appreciative beyond words. This kind of generosity and kindness is a rarity in today’s world. Thank you for you contributions, generosity and support of such a worthy cause.

Chicago: My Kind of Town

I was in Chicago on a business trip for a few days late last week, and as usual, I had a fantastic time. I had a great Italian dinner at Rosebud on Rush on Thursday night and a very tasty steak Friday night at the Chicago Chop House. I also had a chance to walk down the “Magnificent Mile” and to spend some time reading on the beach on Lake Michigan. Over the past ten years, I’ve probably visited Chicago about 15 times, mostly for business, and have grown to love the city. There are lots of cool restaurants, museums, blues clubs, and the people really embody Midwestern nice.

But the reason Chicago is so special to me is running. You see, back in 2002, I completed the Chicago Marathon, my first marathon of any kind, and it was one of the best experiences of my entire life. At the time I decided to run the race, I was miserable in my job and really didn’t have much going on in my life --- I was in a rut. I needed to shake things up and decided after attempting to register for the Marine Corps Marathon (it was full), to sign-up for the Chicago Marathon.

On October 13, 2002, I crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon in a time of 3 hours, 51 minutes, 58 seconds; the top 1/3 of the field. Not bad for a first timer. To this day, I can still remember waiting nervously to begin the race as the National Anthem played. I can still picture the guy dressed like Elvis singing on the side of the course near mile 12. I can still taste the jellybeans I ate at mile 18 (cherry). And I still remember seeing the wonderful people of Chicagoland coming out to encourage the runners (more than 1 million lined the course). Most of all, I remember the finish. All the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice came together at that one moment. And I can honestly tell you, it was worth it. All the Saturdays I got up early in the morning to run 20 miles, all the times I struggled up the big hill on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown in 90 degree heat, all the times I came home from a run totally wiped out, all the times I passed up a “big night out” with my friends to get a good night sleep, it all paid off. Finishing the Chicago Marathon showed me that I could accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. Finishing the Chicago Marathon gave me a new found confidence and a basis to believe in myself in a way I never could before. Finishing the Chicago Marathon changed my life.

As I went for a run just two days ago along Lake Michigan, all those memories from 2002 came rushing back. My stride quickened, my breathing increased, and a big smile emerged. After I reached the beautiful Lincoln Park, I decided to head back to the hotel. A t the moment I turned around I caught a glimpse of the spectacular Chicago skyline. It was then that I realized that while DC is my real home, Chicago is my home for running and I was glad to be back.